Chapter 5

'The Book'

Andrew pulled into the drive at 6:15. He wanted to surprise Margaret by not telling her he was getting off early. He walked through the front door carrying a bouquet of a dozen red roses. "Margaret? Sweetie…I'm home!"

He sat the roses on the table then walked to their room. "Margaret? Where are you" No sign of her anywhere. He seen something sitting on the bed. It was a note, and what it had to say made him fear for his life and that of his families.

Paxton.

We have your wife. We will only keep her alive under one condition: you give us the book by midnight on Friday. Oh and NO COPS! If you want to see her again meet us at Central Park West at 11:45pm this Friday.

PS- I would hope you choose to cooperate since she is with your child.

Andrew had tears in his eyes. "Damnit! What the hell is this? Why me?" He began cursing everything he knew. Who would do such a thing to him, to them? Whoever it was wanted the book that he has written with Margaret. But who could want such a thing and for what reason?

…

Margaret awoke with a pounding headache. She was in a strange place and nothing was familiar to her. "Where am I?" She looked around, her vision not completely blurry but the room was dark. "Hello? Where am I?" She yelled. He hands were cuffed and she was tied to a chair.

Finally a man she never wanted to see again stepped into the room. "Margaret Tate, we meet again."

She instantly recognized that voice. "Bob?"

"Yes." He laughed. "I have taken you from your home and family because you have something I want."

"Why are you doing this to us?"

"Because. You took my job away from me and my life."

"Look you didn't have a life Bob. You cheated on your wife so of course she left you. That's your own damn fault not mine! Now just let me go!"

"Ah not so fast…you are not going anywhere until your little Andrew gives us what we want."

"And what would that be?"

He grinned. "Your book."

"What?"

"That's right. I want your book so our company can publish it and you and him will be fired for betraying your company."

"Oh you are so stubborn!" Her and Andrew had written a book about their life together and called it 'The Proposal'. It was special to them and the company was just about to publish it before this happened.

"Oh but you know it." He grinned. "So you are knocked up, well what's it going to be? I bet he is not even the father, is he?"

Tears in her eyes, she would never cheat on Andrew. She loved him. "It's a boy."

"Oh so we will have another Andrew Paxton running the business in the future eh?"

"Its possible. I still don't understand why you had to kidnap me? And since when did you get a gun?"

"Ah but it was not me who took you, it was my assistant."

"Since when do you have an assistant Bob? You never had any real power at the company!" She was becoming very irritated with him.

"Well I have the power to do this…" He takes her cell phone out of his pocket and pushes the button to call Andrew. "You are going to tell him to give me the book or else I will kill you and the unborn baby."

She looked at him. "You are a sick freak!" He then shoves the phone in her face. It was ringing, then the sound of her Andrews voice was on the line.

"Margaret? Honey where are you? Are you alright? Talk to me."

"Andrew! Please… if you don't give them the book they are going to kill us. But I don't think its worth it. Don't give it to…" Then he pulled the phone from her face and hung up. Tears in her eyes. "What are you going to do to me?"

"I will kill your baby of course, you never know when I might slip a little something in your dinner. It would instantly kill the unborn child, and you would have to suffer and live in misery just as all the other employees at the office did because of you!"

"Don't do this Bob! This is murder. Just let me go and we can pretend that this never happened."

"Sorry, not happening." He looked at her then slapped her face. Something he had wanted to do all these days since she had 'let him go'.

Tears filled her eyes as she feared for not her life, but the life of their child. She didn't care if she died, she just wanted their son to live.

…

He was frustrated. He didn't know what to do. He feared for the life of his wife and child. He was kicking the wall and throwing anything he could get his hands on. "Damnit! This was not supposed to happen." He took his phone and threw it across the room. He went to their room and pulled out their book, which was what he wanted. He read over some of it and then got an idea.